Saturday morning was spent at the Green Market, in West Palm Beach,
loading up on fresh veggies and pastries. Especially the pain au
chocolat! Chocolate croissants, yumm. The debate continued on the best
time to depart for Lucaya. But, the plan had been made to go at
midnight.

In the afternoon we hauled the outboard and secured it to the stern
rail. The dinghy we would haul out later, when the wind died a little.
It was whistling in the rigging, just a little too much for a large
rubber sail aloft! By late afternoon, we hauled the anchor and headed
closer to the inlet to the sea. Just as we dropped anchor, our friends
called and said “Why don’t we go right now?” So, we rushed around,
hauled the dinghy and stowed everything down below that could move
and/or crash. By 5:30 we were headed out the inlet.

It was starting out to be not a great crossing for me. The wind was
higher than I liked and we were heeled over about 15 degrees. That
means that I stay put, as the stairs to below will be on a steep
sideways angle and tricky for me to use. It was also going to be a
long, dark night with no moon.

But eventually the wind settled down, the boat became more upright, I
could move around more easily, the stars popped out and the glow from
cities in Florida and Bahamas gave us an idea of where the horizon
was. By early morning, we were just off of Freeport and continued on
towards Lucaya, arriving there before 9 am.

Check-in was very painless and both boats headed off to find a spot to
drop anchor and sleep. It took some time to find a spot but eventually
both boats settled in and, after brunch, we snoozed the afternoon
away.

Today, a walk up to the Batelco office was needed in order to get the
MiFi connected here. That took some time but eventually we had
success! And that is what I am using right now, to connect to the
internet. A jitney ( the local bus ) took us to the International
Bazaar in Freeport. Shocked, we noted that most of the stores were
closed. A local woman told us that all the businesses had moved to
Lucaya. She told us all about the last few years and their tough times
as she put a few braids in my hair. Yes, I now have about 10 braids
with beads. Murray will take a photo so that I may send it to you.

So back to Lucaya and walk the market there. Lunch and ice cream, in
that order. Both delicious, by the way. But our long nights were
catching up to us and everyone was fading. It was time to go back to
the boats for another nap.

Tomorrow we will head on to the Berry Islands to fish, snorkel, walk
the beaches and do some shelling. Fresh fish! Another mmmmm.

Take care and hugs from us both,
Heather & Murray
cruising again

Our plans have changed a zillion times in the last month. We’ re going, no we are heading home, maybe we’re crossing, we’re not crossing. My head has been spinning as we weigh all of the options. But, finally, a decision has been made.

We are crossing to the islands for a while and returning home earlier than usual. Mom is relatively settled in the nursing home of Caressant Care in Woodstock. She is not very happy with her room at this time but is awaiting a move to a more permanent spot there. Once she is in a permanent bed, she can request a private room with more space for some of her belongings. With her own things around her, I think she might be happier.

So, we are taking this opportunity to cross over to Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island, probably tonight or very early tomorrow morning. Once we are checked in etc, I will notify all of you of our safe arrival. Friends on a large catamaran, MarNel, will be accompanying us. Pete and Lani have been as far south as Venezuela and Panama but are just cruising to the Bahamas this winter. They are great fishermen and divers, so they will push us to do more and catch more, I am sure.

Once we are in the islands, I hope to promote my book and get more distributers and orders. So, we may even go to George Town, Great Exuma, this year as there are many potential buyers anchored there. I also need to check in with Bernadette Chamberlain in Staniel Cay, the illustrator for The Pig That Couldn’t Swim. I sent her a copy of the new book about Penny and want to see if she is interested in illustrating this one as well.

I hope to get the MiFi up and running in the islands and, if so, we will be able to use this e-mail address all winter long. But, I will keep you informed of which address to use to contact us more easily.

All our best to everyone ashore, love and hugs,
Heather & Murray